Snoring is an involuntary sound produced mostly by men during sleep, men being prone to snore more frequently than women by a 95 to 5 ratio.
During sleep, the muscle tone falls, the neck bends forward, and the tongue goes up and back, creating the basic cause of snoring: an obstruction of the throat and the respiratory air pathway. The relaxed pharyngeal membranes surrounding muscles, and the top of the tongue, stand in the way of the air, while the sleeper makes quite an effort to succeed in the inhaling process. Air strikes these obstacles trying to pass them, producing the sound of the snore.
For example: if we bend or adhere objects within the lumen of a pipe, and air passes through this obstructed passage, a sound is produced which resembles a policeman's whistle. Our nostrils, pharynx, trachea and bronchi are built like pipes. If the neck is bent, if membranes or mucous linings are irritated, or if there are polyps present, or if there is chronic tonsilitis or adenoid hypertrophy, the free air pathway will be clogged and the noise will be directly proportional to the grade of pharyngeal obstruction.
Familiar symptoms of snoring are observed when one awakens in the morning to experience a dry throat and a feeling of tiredness due to the effort of breathing which causes sleep to be superficial and to produce little real rest. When snoring is repeated night after night, the snorer becomes weary, impatient, irritable and tends to feel a sadness which can develop into a symptomatic depression. In the long run, the snorer can lose interest in sex, encounter erection difficulties and ultimately develop impotence, all without apparent reason.
A forceful inhalation process during sleep lasting up to 10 seconds is called an APNEA. This syndrome is characterized by a potentially lethal condition which results from multiple and repetitive obstructions in breathing during sleep. When a loud choking gasp is heard, it is because the sleeper succeeded in overcoming the occlusion. When this syndrome lasts more than 10 seconds, sinus arrest and sudden death can develop due to arrythmia or hypoxia. This syndrome can also develop into premature ventricular contractions, ventricular tachycardias towards an atrioventricular block, and ultimately cardiac failure. In all of the instances mentioned above, and f physical trauma is present, and if the neck bends forwardly or laterally while snoring, the pain will increase, sleep relaxation will decrease, and the healing time will be extended. The correct physiologic position will minimize pain and shorten the regenerative physical process.
It is the objective of this invention to provide a pillow which will help maintain the head and nostrils in a straight position for better ventilation and reduced diaphragmatic effort. In this way, the tendency to snore will be minimized and the complications of snoring will be reduced.
Also, the sleeper's head is frequently not in a very relaxed position, and this imposes stresses and strains upon the neck and upper portions of the back leading to considerable discomfort the following day. When these stresses and strains persist, they can lead to all sorts of physical breakdowns.
Previous orthopedic pillows have addressed only the isolation of the head and neck, following the basic patterns of ordinary pillows which leave the shoulders free of proper support. The counterweight of the head is thus sustained entirely on the cervix, producing cervical musculature strain and tracheal obstruction. Resting on a fixed joint after an injury can cause lack of muscular relaxation and comfort, thus delaying the healing process. Consequently, the prior cervical pillows can produce neck muscular strain and the local pharyngeal musculature can contract and obstruct the respiratory pathways which can cause snoring to increase.
The configured pillow of this invention not only helps to maintain an open passageway to ease the burden of breathing and minimize the tendency to snore, thus reducing the noise level which is so objectionable to others, but it also minimizes the described ailments and discomforts and helps to regenerate damaged tissue.